A Geographical Study of School Attendance Areas Using Multiplicatively Weighted Voronoi Diagrams

Abstract

Unlike developed countries, no enforced attendance areas exist in Iran to guide school selection or allow students to make the most convenient commutes to the nearest schools. Without defined school attendance areas, parents seeking better and more reputable schools often have no choice but to send children to schools outside the local area. In the case of the Northern Iranian city of Rasht, this parental-based system of schools selection has resulted in commutes that are longer than necessary for the female students of junior high school who journey on foot or on the city's public and private transport. Long commutes by vehicle and on foot are a heavy burden on students and parents in terms of travel expenses, stress and the possibility of physical harm. This paper presents the realities of the parental-based system of school selection through the case study of Rasht City using questionnaires. The criteria in the selection of school by parents were clarified through the use of questionnaire surveys. In order to reduce the time and distance of commutes to school, the research proposed to eliminate parental choice and to create school attendance areas that allocate students to the closest possible public female junior high (PFJH) schools of Rasht City. It concluded that through the introduction of school attendance areas based on the multiplicatively weighted Voronoi diagram method, it would be possible to not only eliminate most hazardous vehicle travel but also make walking commute shorter and more convenient.